By Dele Ogbodo/Amina Aminu
The Minister of Environment, Mallam Balarabe Lawal, has inaugurated the Committee for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
This even as the Minister charged the task team to accelerate it’s reporting technical know-how to enhance data collection and accuracy on land degradation.
At the inauguration of the committee recently at the Ministry’s Headquarters, in Abuja, the Minister charged the members on the overarching importance of their assignment which primarily is land degradation prevention and land restoration.
He added: “Our land is not only for infrastructural development but for cultivation of foods and if it’s degraded the end might be disastrous.”
Lawal, while underscoring the importance of data, said the committee should hit the ground running on provision of necessary and accurate data and information required to mitigate land degradation.
He urged them to work hand-in-hand with environmental stakeholders, agencies and departments to ensure they recover degraded areas.
The Minister, stressed that the central goal of the committee is a reporting task , charged them to always come up with data that are workable, reliable and capable of curbing and mitigating land degradation.
Speaking further, the Minister disclosed that one of ways to mitigate land degradation is to provide alternative cooking mechanism which has to do with planting of more trees which will inevitably lead to deforestation reduction.
He described the selection of the committee as regorous and their role as critical and important to the land recovery, implored them to be more committed and resolute in discharging their duties.
In her opening remark, the Director, Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought Management, Mrs. Regina Nwaneri, acknowledged that the inauguration of the committee marked an important milestone in Nigeria’s commitment to fulfilling its obligations under the convention.
She said the committee will carry out the assignment through strengthening national efforts towards combating desertification, land degradation, and drought.
She noted that reporting process is not only a statutory obligation but also an opportunity to showcase the country’s progress, achievements, challenges, and ongoing interventions in sustainable land management and ecosystem restoration.
She said: “The assignment before this committee is therefore of great importance.
“Your expertise, dedication, and collaborative efforts will be instrumental in ensuring the delivery of a credible, comprehensive, and timely national report that reflects the true state of implementation in Nigeria.”
The Senior Information Officer, at the Ministry, Mr. Ogunjobi Olusegun, in a statement on behalf of his Director, Mr. Ibrahim Haruna, said, Nwaneri, appreciated institutions represented at the committee for their continued support and commitment to this national assignment.
“It is our expectation that the Committee will work together effectively in the spirit of professionalism, partnership, and shared responsibility.” Nwaneri, added